1Puas yog cov Yudais tsim txiaj dua lwm Haivneeg lossis qhov uas ua kevcai txiav muaj nqis dabtsi? 2Yeej muaj nqis rau txhua yam. Thawj qhov yog Vajtswv muab nws txojlus rau cov Yudais tuav. 3Tiamsis yog cov Yudais qee leej tsis ua raws li Vajtswv txojlus puas ua rau Vajtswv txojlus tsis muaj nqis lawm? 4Tsis yog li ntawd! Txawm yog txhua tus dag los Vajtswv tsis dag, raws li twb muaj lus sau tseg lawm hais tias, “Thaum koj hais lus sawvdaws yeej paub hais tias koj hais tseeb; thaum luag taug koj zaj, sawvdaws yeej paub hais tias koj tsis tau ua txhaum.” 5Peb ho yuav hais li cas, yog peb tej kev txhaum ua rau peb pom hais tias Vajtswv yog tus ncaj ncees. Peb yuav hais tias Vajtswv txiav txim tsis ncaj rau peb no los? (Kuv hais raws li neeg hais.) 6Tsis yog li ntawd! Yog hais tias Vajtswv ua tsis ncaj, nws yuav ua li cas muaj cuabkav txiav txim rau neeg ntiajteb? 7Yog hais tias kuv ua tsis ncaj rau sawvdaws pom Vajtswv tus uas ncaj ncees lub tshwjchim tseeb, ua li cas kuv tseem raug txim ib yam li tus neeg txhaum thiab? 8Ua li cas peb tsis hais tias, “Peb mus ua txhaum kom peb tau qhov zoo”? Muaj qee leej thuam peb hais tias peb hais li ntawd! Qhov uas lawv raug txim li ntawd yeej tsimnyog lawm.
Tsis Muaj Ib Tug Neeg Ncaj Ncees Li
(Phau Ntawv Nkauj 14.1-3; 53.1-4)
9Peb cov uas yog neeg Yudais, peb zoo dua lwm Haivneeg los? Tsis yog li ntawd! Kuv twb qhia rau nej lawm hais tias txojkev txhaum yeej kav tagnrho cov neeg Yudais thiab lwm Haivneeg huv tibsi. 10Raws li Vajtswv Txojlus hais tias: “Yeej tsis muaj ib tug neeg ncaj ncees hlo li, 11tsis muaj ib tug totaub lossis nrhiav Vajtswv li. 12Txhua tus puavleej tso Vajtswv tseg; lawv txhua tus ua txhaum huv tibsi; tsis muaj leej twg ua zoo li, txawm yog ib tug los twb tsis muaj. 13Lawv lub qa zoo ib yam li lub qhov ntxa uas qhib lug cia; lawv tus nplaig hais tej lus dag ntxias; lawv tej lus muaj taug ib yam li taug nab. 14Lawv lub qhovncauj foom phem thiab hais tej lus iab lus daw xwb. 15Lawv khiav ceev nrooj mus ua phem thiab tua neeg; 16txhua qhov uas lawv mus, lawv ua rau luag raug kev txomnyem thiab puastsuaj. 17Lawv tsis paub nrog leej twg sib raug zoo, 18lossis lawv tsis paub ntshai Vajtswv li.” 19Nimno peb paub hais tias txhua nqe uas Vajtswv txoj Kevcai qhia yeej qhia kom neeg hwm txoj Kevcai, txhua tus thiaj tsis muaj lus hais, thiab Vajtswv yuav txiav txim rau txhua tus neeg hauv ntiajteb no. 20Rau qhov txhua tus uas ua raws li txoj Kevcai yeej tsis muaj ib tug ncaj ncees tabmeeg Vajtswv li; txoj kevcai ntawd tsuas qhia kom neeg paub neeg txojkev txhaum xwb.
Tus Ncaj Ncees Yog Tus Ntseeg
21Tiamsis qhov uas nimno Vajtswv suav hais tias neeg ncaj ncees tabmeeg Vajtswv tsis yog vim neeg coj raws li txoj kevcai. Qhov tseeb, Mauxes txoj Kevcai thiab cov cev Vajtswv lus los puavleej ua tim khawv hais txog zaj no. 22Vajtswv suav hais tias txhua tus uas los ntseeg Yexus Khetos thiaj yog neeg ncaj ncees xwb. Rau qhov Vajtswv suav hais tias txhua tus uas ntseeg Yexus Khetos zoo ib yam nkaus; 23rau qhov txhua tus puavleej ua txhaum thiab tu ncua Vajtswv lub tshwjchim lawm. 24Vajtswv txojkev hlub uas nws muab pub dawb rau neeg yog nws txib Yexus Khetos los tuag txhiv neeg kom dim txim, Vajtswv thiaj suav hais tias neeg ncaj ncees tabmeeg Vajtswv. 25Vajtswv txib Yexus Khetos los tuag theej neeg lub txhoj thiab nws cov ntshav ntxuav neeg tej kev txhaum, Vajtswv thiaj zam tau neeg lub txhim, vim neeg ntseeg Yexus Khetos. Vajtswv ua li ntawd qhia hais tias Vajtswv yog tus ncaj ncees. Yav tas los Vajtswv ua siab ntev thiab tsis rau txim rau cov neeg uas ua txhaum. 26Qhov uas Vajtswv ua li no qhia hais tias Vajtswv yog tus ncaj ncees, Vajtswv tsis suav neeg lub txim, thiab Vajtswv pab kom txhua tus uas ntseeg Yexus Khetos ua tau neeg ncaj ncees. 27Yog li ntawd, peb yuav ua li cas khav tau? Yeej tsis muaj ib yam dabtsi uas peb khav tau. Tsis hais txoj kevcai twg lossis tes haujlwm twg li, tiamsis yog qhov uas ntseeg Yexus Khetos xwb. 28Yog li ntawd, peb paub hais tias tus uas Vajtswv suav hais tias ncaj ncees yog tus uas ntseeg, tsis yog tus uas coj raws li txoj kevcai qhia. 29Vajtswv tsuas yog cov Yudais tus Vajtswv xwb los? Nws tsis yog lwm Haivneeg tus Vajtswv los? Vajtswv yeej yog lwm Haivneeg tus Vajtswv thiab. 30Tsuas muaj tib tug Vajtswv xwb, Vajtswv suav hais tias txhua tus uas ntseeg Yexus Khetos, tsis hais cov Yudais lossis lwm Haivneeg yog cov uas ncaj ncees. 31Yog Vajtswv ua li ntawd, peb yuav suav hais tias Vajtswv txoj kevcai tsis tseemceeb no los? Tsis yog li ntawd! Peb cov uas ntseeg Yexus Khetos, peb hajyam suav hais tias Vajtswv txoj kevcai tog txoj uas tseemceeb.
3
God’s Faithfulness
1What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God. 3What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? 4Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”⚓ 5But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” 8Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!
No One Is Righteous
9What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”⚓ 13“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.”⚓ “The poison of vipers is on their lips.”⚓ 14“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”⚓ 15“Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16ruin and misery mark their ways, 17and the way of peace they do not know.”⚓ 18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”⚓ 19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Righteousness Through Faith
21But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness is given through faith in⚓ Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,⚓ through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.